Anne through to Fes quarters
Anne Keothavong makes the last eight at the expense of the injured top seed in Morocco
Anne Keothavong is through to the quarter-finals of the Grand Prix de SAR La Princesse Lalla Meryem in Fes after top seed Carla Suarez Navarro was forced to retire from their second round clash.
With the British No.3 trailing 6-5 in a first set that had seen both players earn two breaks of serve, the Spaniard had to quit after falling awkwardly on her right ankle.
“It’s never nice to get through to the next round when your opponent has injured themselves,” said a sympathetic Keothavong. “She was in a lot of pain and I only hope for her sake that she won’t be out for too long.
“Up until she fell over there had been some good tennis.”
The 26-year-old Londoner will play Alize Cornet – a former world No.11 currently languishing at No.84 – in the last eight of the WTA International event in Morocco.
“Cornet will be a tough test for me,” added Keothavong. “She’s not ranked as high as she once was but she’s a solid clay court player. I’m looking forward to it.”